A Trip to Akabashi

Only in Zambia do you get these kind of speed restrictions! However the roads are pretty treacherous. It takes roughly an hour and a half to get to Akabashi Campsite and Lodge just outside of Chingola from Kitwe.

Trucks throw up so much dust it's rather like being in a dust storm in the desert. Remember to engage in four wheel drive so you don't go skidding all over the sandy road like we did - sjoe! 

Finally at our destination...

...and ready to down some refreshments in the cool lapa area.

A lovely way to relax on the weekend. Definitely going to come camp in the hot months :)

You can check out their facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/AkabashiCampsite/?fref=ts&ref=br_tf

"Ugly" Flowers

I'm not sure what these are called, but they vary slightly in the shape of their petals and so some of them do look a bit "ugly", especially as they mature and start to form their big puffballs of seed. I can't help but find a two-tone colour flower interesting and the bees think they're awesome.

I was about to pull off what I thought was a bit of dead plant matter before I realized I was looking at a straw-coloured preying mantis with his/her bee dinner.

Lovely roses adorning the trellis my husband had made for one anniversary. Now I just need a nest of ladybugs to descend upon those aphids...

Morning Light and Murdoch's Giant Mantis Pal

So it was just another lazy morning lounging on the patio couch, when this little dragonfly caught my attention. Needless to say, once I got snapping I found a few things that appealed to me. :)

This citrus swallowtail butterfly in the making appeared to be doing some kind of sunrise salute.

Butternut flowers - an ant's idea of heaven.

Murdoch was playing with something in the grass so I went over to check it out...

...and I would be a bit nervous of tangoing with this fierce little guy too! It's amazing how he blends in with the grass. 

The Funky Moth and the Green Pea Spider

This colourful little character caught my attention two nights ago, walking in agitated circles around and around a potplant.

I'm not sure if it was looking for a place to lay eggs, judging by the fluffy bundle beneath it's body and protruding from it's behind. The following morning it was hanging around on the patio floor, apparently threatening Dingo the dog who was fascinated but too intimidated to approach it.

Unfortunately having a wee camera and a mixture of cloud and morning light was not conducive to adequately capturing the pretty shade of green on this spider's back.

But I did think this a rather cute snap - it almost looks like the spider was more intent on eating the web than building it.

Siesta Restaurant & My First Pawpaw Flower

Ok so this isn't exactly a nature snap but I really loved the atmosphere of this Spanish restaurant Siesta, in Hartesbeespoort, that I went to with my mum.

Shaded by cool trees outside, we had a lovely afternoon out on the patio...

...and possibly one of the best desserts I've ever had - chocolate fondant with a Ferrero Rocher chocolate at the centre, smothered with berry coulis and ice cream. Wow.

Back in Kitwe, the turmeric was flowering beautfully upon my return. A photograph doesn't quite capture how it almost glows, exotic little thing.

To my absolute delight I finally have a viable pawpaw tree, after three years of failed attempts. You can just see that wee little fruit-to-be nestled away among the soft, velvety petals. 

The Citrus Swallowtail Butterfly

In recent weeks one of our tangerine trees has been infested with the most iffy caterpillars. They start out as a slightly offensive worm measuring about two or three centimetres...

...and grow to great squishy green monsters, seven to eight centimetres in length. So it was one Sunday morning when I was flicking yet more caterpillars off the leaves when I noticed a large butterfly flitting indecisively from leaf to leaf. It then perched awkwardly on one, pulled its abdomen towards the leaf and...laid an egg. 

This had me Googling in no time and there I found indeed, that the picture above is the squishy green monster metamorphosed. 

A Chilly Spring

The last few days of August were surprisingly warm when I arrived in Boksburg but no sooner did spring day arrive on the first day of September, than things took a turn for the chillier!

This didn't put a damper on the jasmine, which starts to bud even in the bitterest July cold. It's sweet perfume hangs over the garden like a scented veil.

The blossoming lavender attracts many bees, which in turn attracts Timmy the poodle who loves chasing them.

Lucy sulking about the weather, all fluffed up.